Car-coupling



(No Model.) I

J.' R. HARE. GAR COUPLING.

No. 577,298. Patented Feb. 16, 1897.

\NVENTBFL UNITED STATES,

JOHN R. HARE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,298, dated February16, 1897. Application filed November 19, 1896. Serial No. 612,721. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN R. HARE, of the city of Baltimore and State ofMaryland, have invented certain Improvements in Car- Couplers, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class ofcar-couplers in which are employed jaws which move in a horizontaldirection and interlock in the coupling operation, as will hereinafterfully appear.

In the description of the said invention which follows reference is madeto the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which-Figure 1 is a view, on a small scale, of one end of a canto which theimproved coupler is applied. Fig. 2 is a top view of the two members ofthe coupler as they appear when brought together and immediately beforethey are locked. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 except that the twomembers of the coupler are shown as locked and the coupling operationcompleted. Figs. at to 9, inclusive, are details of the coupler, ashereinafter described.

Referring now to the drawings, A (shown only in Fig. 1) is the platformof a car, and B the body.

O O are the coupler heads, having the sockets a, adapted, as is common,for the reception of the draw-bars,which are not shown.

It will be understood that the coupler consists of two complete members,one on each adjoining end of a car, the two members being identical inconstruction except that the arrangement of the elements thereof isreversed. Oonsequently the description of one member will apply to theother.

The shape and construction of the head are well shown in Figs. 4 and 5,the latter being a section of the former taken on the dotted line 00 m.

It will be seen that the head at the outer face is curved, as seen, fromeither the top or bottom, and at one side is thickened up at two pointsto give sufficient metal around the holes cl and e, which pass entirelythrough it.

D is a jaw consisting of two horizontallypla'ced flat bars I), connectedby the crosspiece 0, (see Fig. 6,) which is an exterior side view of thejaw. The jawD is connected to the head by a hinge pin 72, which passesthrough the jaw and the hole 6 in the head. (See Figs. 2 and 3.)

Near the inner end of the jaw is a boss j, arranged for the reception ofthe couplingpin E, which pin, when the coupler is in use, passes throughit into the hole d in the head.

The coupling-pin E is removablethat is to say, it may be elevated, so-asto be clear of the head, by means of a lever F, a chain G, and a swivelH on the head of the pin, as shown in Fig. 1.

I is a curved plate interposed between the upper bar of the jaw and thetop side of the head and pivoted to both by the hinge-pin 72. It hasstops j and k at its edges, and the distance between the stops is suchthat the plate is susceptible of considerable swinging movementindependently of the jaw. The stops are shown as formed by turning upthe edges of the plate, but they may be constructed in a variety ofother ways and have the effect hereinafter described.

The plate I has a hole m, which will register with the one d in the headwhen the plate is placed in the position shown in Fig. 3, and when soplaced the pin may be inserted through the jaw, the plate, and the head,as shown in that figure.

To arrange the two parts or members of the coupler to admit of thecoupling operation, the coupling-pins are raised out of the heads andthe outer ends of the jaws moved outward, as shown in Fig. 2, whichbrings the inner ends of the jaws in contact with the stops 7e andcarries the plates into the positions shown in Fig. 2. When the partsare thus arranged, the coupling-pins rest on a blank part of, theplates.

In the coupling operation the jaws of the two members of the couplercome together, and the plates I are moved with the jaws until the jaw ofone member slips past the stop of the plate of the other, when the jawsmove independently of the plates until they come into contact with theother stops, when they both move together, the coupling-pins passingthrough the holes m in the plates andresting on the upper surface of theheads. As soon as the jaws and plates reach the positions indicated inFig. 3 the coupling-pins drop into the holes (I in the heads, and thejaws are thereby locked.

By having the jaws placed exterior of the head, as described instead ofbeing inserted in slots in the head the coupler may be made muchlighter, with an increased bearing-surface for the locked ends of thejaws, and the strength of the coupler increased, and should breakageoccur it would be the jaws instead of the head that would have to berenewed, and the substitution of a new jaw could be made with littlecost and without affecting the heads.

In the improved construction as described the major part of the strainin drawing the car is thrown on the coupling-pin, which may be made aslarge as desired, the hinge-pin receiving only a slight strain.

\Vhile I have shown the plates I as swinging about the hinge-pins it isevident that they could be pivoted at some other point and effect theresult described equally as well.

I claim as my invention-- In a car-coupler of the type described, thecombination of a head, a locking-jaw within which the head is insertedand pivoted, a coupling-pin adapted to pass through the inner end of thelocking-jaw and the head, and a pivoted plate interposed between thehead and one side of the jaw provided with stops whereby the independentswinging movement of the plate is limited, and having a hole which willregister with the coupling-pin holes in the head and jaw when the saidjaw is in its locked position, substantially as specified.

JOHN R. HARE.

Vitnesses:

WM. '1. HOWARD, Gno. E. TAYLOR.

